Having just finished up a week exploring South Korea, I was on my way to meet up with a friend in Japan, and Tokyo Disney was a non-negotiable for us. While I want to hit every Disney park, Tokyo Disney was top of the list as it is known for its food, the beauty of DisneySea, the affordable costs, and the lines. We were so excited to experience this park, however by the end of the first day we were cranky, miserable, and disappointed. So let me take you through what we did wrong, and how we redeemed the trip.
Tokyo Disney has two parks, Disneyland and DisneySea. We started the trip in Disneyland. This park is the more traditional Disneyland, with a few different must do rides such as Beauty and the Beast. However, it is where you will get the traditional Disney magic, or so we thought. By the end of the first day, the most popular rides were all closed for refurbishments, and we had gotten ourselves stuck in Fantasyland. The mobile app is somewhat glitchy, and we came to realize a paper map would have benefitted us greatly. Tokyo Disney is also known for its Peter Pan ride, to save you the wait the one that is different than in the States is on the DisneySea side. Also, the most popular ride, Baymax, has the longest wait for it to be the same ride as the TowMater Jamboree in Disneyland.
DisneySea is where I would spend the most time as it is drastically different from Disneyland or Disney World. The attractions are beautiful, every ride is different from what we experience here and the food is phenomenal. While we probably missed out on some of the park, we started in the Lost River Delta, where you will experience thrill rides like you are in the jungle, making our way over to Fantasy Springs, where we spent so much time. This is where the beauty really stands out, princesses carved into the rocks, the Tangled ride and known as the most beautiful Disney ride, I can’t disagree. This is also where you will experience the Peter Pan ride everyone talks about, however, caution if you get motion sickness… even with medication this ride put me down for an hour or so. Mermaid Lagoon is a must at night to see, or if you have young children. A beautiful interactive part of the park that was nice to rest at, and designed for younger children. Mysterious Island, was amazing as you take a Trip to the Center of the Earth, and enjoy amazing cocktails. There are three other “lands” that you can’t miss out on, but we spent much less time in those portions of the park. Overall, this was an amazing day at a Disney park and if I got the chance to go I would again.
Overall, Tokyo Disney is so different from both Disneyland and Disney World with the Japanese culture shown through in the design, food, and Cast Members. Guests dress the part, and are rarely seen in athleisure, costumes on characters are beautiful, and every detail of the park was magical. Tokyo Disney is known for their extravagant popcorn flavors, which were all amazing, and their beautiful popcorn buckets being one of the only parks with a bucket exclusive shop… if you like buckets, planning ahead getting them home was a pain! The merchandise is also different, way more affordable, a ton of stationary which was amazing, and the food was phenomenal. The Little Green Men mochi’s are a must, and Magellan’s is one of the most amazing and beautiful restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. Their version of “Downtown Disney”, I would not stress about exploring, however, it is a great option for ice cream and restaurants on your first night.
In planning for this trip, we decided to do the Disney Vacation Package. It came with a hotel stay for two nights, 2 park tickets, drink tickets, popcorn bucket, premier passes and dining reservations. We believed it was the biggest bang for our buck, we got to stay at the Toy Story Hotel, which was phenomenal. Hotels in Japan are already just so much better, and they outdid themselves. Continental breakfast was included in our package, and make sure you go to the store downstairs and claim your free gift! The hotel was a short walk from the monorail to the park entrances making mornings super easy, with a special park entrance for DisneySea. The drink tickets covered fountain beverages, and we got to select a variety of premier passes that helped us experience all of the rides. The only thing is after you get back from the second day at the park, your hotel stay is not included, so we booked a room nearby at Hotel Oriental Tokyo Bay which was phenomenal! Make sure you understand their tickets, premier passes, and mobile app prior to entering it will save you time and stress. And I highly recommend a paper map as well!
If you are not staying on site, make sure that you get some practice in the public transportation system if you are taking the train. We had regular issues with our passes, and navigating the train systems. We also didn’t realize how outside of “downtown” Tokyo it really was. Google Maps and a translation app will become your best friend on this trip. I highly recommend Papago, and Kuli Kuli apps for this trip. Always have a back up payment option in case anything goes wrong, we ran into places only taking cash, ApplePay not working, etc. be prepared for that and the crowds. Also, do what you can to understand the culture and etiquette in Japan prior to arrival. Look out for a future post on everything I learned while there!
So, as I said, I hated the first day. Unfortunately part of our trip got cancelled due to a typhoon, so we decided to try the Disneyland side again. We didn’t get stuck in Fantasyland and ended up really enjoying our time, again staying at Hotel Oriental. If I were to go again, I would prioritize familiarizing myself with the app or a map prior to arrival. Making a list of must have foods to make sure I get them through the day, and DisneySea deserves more than a day. I do believe if we had planned properly we could’ve enjoyed and experienced both parks in two days. However, we will likely get two vacation packages and enjoy the parks for 4 days if we ever get the chance to return. If you slightly enjoy Disney, and are in Tokyo, I would recommend at least going to DisneySea, the passes are extremely affordable and it’s not something you would get to experience. A friend who had been in South Korea with me did just that by getting a park hopper and exploring for the day!
Now, I have taken you to three different parks across the world. So whether you are walking down Main Street in California, Drinking Around the World in Florida, or finding yourself in DisneySea in Japan, each park will bring a different experience, but the magic is still there. For me traveling is about experiencing the differences, learning about cultures, and trying new food… sometimes there’s just a little Disney magic to experience as well!
What park should I go to next? Or do you have a favorite Disney park in the world?
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